Following the success of Peter Jackson's Lord of Rings saga, The Game of Killing (Tianhei Qing Biyan), a domestic horror flick has topped domestic box office these days. Produced by mainland director Agan, the film gives Chinese viewers a thrilling psychological experience. However, along with the box success of the film, the long-debated issue of film rating for Chinese movies is again catching attention of the public and the film circle.
According to Agan, the film passed the examination of the Film Bureau, an institution specially commissioned by the Ministry of Radio, Film, and Television of China "smoothly". There's not much abridgement of the original scene. The only two abridged footages are scenes in which two leading actors' head and body fell apart. The special effects cost the producer RMB 170,000 yuan (20,500 USD) and 50 days to complete, certainly not a small sum for staggering low-budgeted Chinese film. The reason of abridgment is simple. The violence involved is considered improper for younger viewers.
The approval of this film without much baffling is kind enough for Agan. The director has definitely been in luck in recent years. His first horror flick in 2000, The Mirror, was approved without much examination. Though there are few violent and bloody scenes in the film with the only fearsome one being the cut of the actress' head, the film was indeed challenging for the unprepared mainland viewers. Domestic box office collected RMB 11 million (1.3 million USD) from the thriller. This inspired Agan to shoot more terror movies as there were few home-grown ones back then. In 2002 Fierce Spirit (Shanling Xiongmeng), Agan's second terror flick got to grips with the real problem. It was required that the violent scenes should be confined to a certain acceptable degree. Blood and guts would be unallowable. This rather bewildered the director, since the standard and degree of "horror" is too difficult to define. Consequently instead of scaring the heck out of the viewers, the film fouled up as a laughing farce. However, the film still earned a box office total of 13 million yuan, enlightening more that China's film market is unprecedentedly promising.
The twists and turns in getting such films screened and distributed in China have accompanied many producers including Agan. As film industry has truly become a market-dominant business, Chinese directors are learning to cater to the taste of their targeted group, following what international film producers have been doing for decades. However, as film rating is not yet available in China, they have to abide by the film bureau's universal standard which doesn't much discriminate minor and younger audiences from adults.
Agan's tentative approach in terror films seems to be again pushing film rating system to the front. In fact, in 2001, Wang Xingdong, a famed screen writer and member of the nation's highest political consultative body, put forward a draft resolution on the establishment of a film rating system in China. Wang's calling has been echoed by many film producers and distributors, who have taken risks shooting films of different themes and styles instead of the "educating" stereotypes to meet the largely diverse needs and tastes.
The outcry from public and the inside of the film industry have been resultful. In June last year, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television declared that preliminary research is under way for drafting a film rating system. And a public survey was also carried out last year to consult opinions of different age groups. Beginning this year the Administration has sped up the draft of a movie promotion law and according to Tong Gang, head of the Administration, a specific outline on film rating will come out this year.
However there are also concerns that given film rating is made possible, extreme violence, erotic love scenes and horrific subjects will cram into the screen. And some certain films which target small groups of audience might suffer less box office revenue. Some insiders have dismissed these worries by citing western practice in film production and distribution. Besides, China's cultural and social situations tend to ensure that films produced under a scrutinous pre-screening system would stay clear from some harmful tendencies. Split as opinions remain, it seems that a better age is coming for mainland film industry.
(CRI April 16, 2004)
